Bridge Professorships

Bridge Professorships: Request for Proposals

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As is the case at most universities, Tufts’ faculty hiring is largely driven by department and school priorities. This approach works well in general, but it can be inconsistent with hiring faculty whose teaching and research are of interest to multiple academic units, and therefore form the foundation upon which interdisciplinary bridges are built.

To encourage the recruitment of greater numbers of interdisciplinary faculty, Tufts has created Bridge Professorships, an extension of the very successful cluster hiring initiative in the School of Arts and Sciences. Proposals for such professorships emerge from existing and new faculty working groups, interdisciplinary programs, and other collaborative processes. Bridge Professors will hold tenure (or its equivalent) in at least two units. During the initial five years of their appointments, Bridge Professors will be partially supported by funds from the Provost’s Office. The goal is to have at least 5 to 10 Bridge Professors on campus once the program reaches maturity.